FOUR big name stores creating nearly 700 jobs could be in Prestatyn within two years.
The news that planning permission has finally been given brings to an end years of frustration and speculation over the future of the town centre.
Cllr June Cahill said it would signal the rebirth of the town.
Denbighshire county councillors gave the go-ahead to the project which could see Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, and Next along with the long-awaited Tesco store.
The development, between the High Street and Nant Hall Road, is headed by Stadium Prestatyn and combines applications for the Tesco store, petrol station and a retail outlet.
Councillors agreed the approval along with demands for two listed railway buildings on the site to be re-developed, provision of off-site community allotments and an ecological plan for the area’s bat and bird population.
Cllr Cahill, who ran shops in the town for 35 years said she disagreed with the notion that the developement would will kill the High Street.
“I think we will get the footfall back. To have a Marks and Spencer will be a huge boost to the town. It has been a long time coming.
“The important thing now is not to be impatient. It has been 16 years since this plan was first mooted - we can wait another two years.”
Prestatyn East councillor James Davies said: “Everyone is keen to see the development start and bring the shops and jobs into the town but there is still a lot of work to do in terms of confirming the road layout and traffic issues as well as launching the redevelopment of the railway buildings.
He said it was hoped work on the development would start in June.
The news was also welcomed by Cllr Rhiannon Hughes, a champion of the Scala Cinema.
She said: “Prestatyn and the town centre in particular has really suffered as a direct result of having such an important site derelict in the town for so many years.
“The Scala has also suffered in that the original business plan for the Scala included having an open and busy retail park next to it and this has been part of the financial difficulty faced by the venue in its first two years.”